Where Akira Went Wrong

Plans for a live-action Akira film may have been put on hold, but that hasn't stopped would-be star Toby Kebbell from providing a few more details on the project.

According to Kebbell, he was indeed one of the top candidates for the leading role in the film. He also expressed a passionate interest in adapting the original comics and not re-creating the original cartoon feature. Said the actor, "I told them, 'This is a remake [of the animated movie], and I don't want to do a live-action remake of the cartoon, because [the cartoon] is perfect and you're not going to do it dark enough' -- so therefore, I don't want to do it."

Now that the project is shelved, Kebbell doesn't hold out much hope for the adaptation. But should the adaptation ever take off again, the actor hopes that the studio gets it right.

"I was desperate to play Tetsuo, but Tetsuo in the comic and annual form," he told IFC. "He's brilliant in the anime, but if you know anything about the comics, they cut so much of the story out. You care about him, because it's brilliantly done, but you don't really care about Kaneda, who isn't."

Kebbell next appears in Legendary Pictures' Wrath of the Titans, which opens Friday.